Sony Sells a Million New PSPs in Japan

Sony has sold over a million of its new, slimmer PSPs in Japan during the product's first two months, outpacing sales for the original PSP.

The fortunes of Sony’s struggline gaming unit may be looking up: first comes news of invigorated PlayStation 3 sales in the wake of price cuts and new models, and now the company is reporting that it has sold one million of its newly redesigned PlayStation Portable handheld gaming systems in Japan during their first two months of availability. Those sales figures are considerably stronger than Japanese sales figures for the PSP before the new model was introduced, and even outpace initial sales for the original PSP when it was launched in 2004.

The revamped PSP is slimmer and lighter than the original PSP, and is also offered in a slew of new colors designed to appeal to a wider range of customers, including women.

In contrast, Sony’s flagship video game system, the PlayStation 3, took eight months to sell one million units in Japan.

Sony’s PlayStation Portable has been a reliable seller for the company, despite setbacks offering new game titles and lackluster response to movies offered for PSP systems on UMD discs. However, Nintendo’s DS handheld has long commanded the strongest sales in the handheld gaming market.